About Andrew Glassell

Born in Galloway, Scotland he emigrated to Virginia, settled on the Robinson River, in what is now in Madison County, "built a splendid mansion named "Torthorwald", His wife was the daughter of Erasmus Taylor a great uncle of President Zachary Taylor.

“The Glassell (or Glassele) family is of French descent. The first of the name went from France to Scotland with Mary, Queen of Scots on her return to her native land in 1560. The name supposedly was originally spelled ‘Glassele.’ John Glassell, a descendant who followed the fortunes of Mary Stuart, lived on his estate called ‘Runcan’ in Scotland. He married Mary Coalter.” (ref.#6) Although Frances was raised in Virginia, her roots were planted deeply in Scottish history. Her great grandfather, “Robert Glassell, was born at Runcan in Dumfries, Scotland. He and his wife, Mary Kelton, married on November 27, 1734 and they lived near ‘Torthorwald’, the Castle of the Douglass.” They had three sons: Andrew (the grandfather of Frances,) Robert who was baptized on February 15, 1741, and John who was born November 26, 1736. It was the “daughter of John Glassell (Joanna Glassell) who married the 7th Duke of Argyll (John Campbell) at Inveraray Castle, County Argyll, Scotland on December 21, 1777.” Andrew married Elizabeth Taylor in 1776. She was the daughter of Erasmus Taylor, of Orange County, Virginia. “Erasmus was the son of James and Martha Taylor of Culpepper County, VA., whose son Zachery was the grandfather of General Zachery Taylor, president of the United States, and thus the great grandfather of Sarah Taylor who married Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America.” (ref.#6) Andrew and Elizabeth had nine children together: (1) Millie (b. 1778) who married Rueben Smith, (2) John (b. 1780) who married Louisa Brown, (3) Mary Kelton (b. 1783) who married Michael Wallace, (4) Helen Buchan (b. 1785) who married Daniel Grinnan, (5) Jane Moore (b. 1787) who married Benjamin Cave, (6) James McMillan (b. 1790) who married Eudora Swaitrout, (7) Andrew (b. 1793) who married Susan Thornton, (8) Robert Alexander (b. 1795) who died of fever during the War of 1812, and (9) William Erasmus (b. 1797) who married Margaret Somerville. They were all born at Torthorwald. Andrew died July 4, 1827 at the age of 89. It was the eldest son, John, who was the father of Frances Toy Glassell.